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Karen McCluskey
"Kathryn Joosten was just a last minute replacement. We had another actress playing the part, and we had to fire her. Kathryn turned out to be spectaculer!" Season One Karen McCluskey is the former nemesis of Lynette Scavo. In the first season episode Live Alone and Like It we learn that she suffers from severe arthritis and how Lynette helped her when she collapsed soon after they became good friends. Known as the bickering old woman of the neighborhood, Mrs. McCluskey can be constantly known for bickering and causing ruckus. However, deep down Mrs. McCluskey is a really good woman full of love. It was revealed that she had a son that died at a young age. She offered to babysit the Scavo kids only to be sent home because Lynette found her to be 'ancient'. Season Two One time, Mrs. McCluskey accidentally tasered Lynette's co-worker Stu when she believed he was trying to "abduct" Lynette's kids. She was reported to have seen Matthew Applewhite and Danielle Van de Kamp making out at the county park. In episode 15 of season 2, she found a comatose Bree on the front lawn. She subsequently alerted Lynette that Bree was drinking while babysitting her kids. Bree's drinking problems inadvertently improved Mrs. McCluskey's relationship with Lynette, as she now frequently babysits the Scavo kids. Towards the end of Season 2 she supported Lynette, who followed Tom Scavo to Atlantic City in a bid to find out the truth behind Tom's supposed infidelity. Season Three She has emerged as a more prominent and visible character in Season 3, often involved in social roles with members of Wisteria Lane and even forming a friendship with Edie Britt. It has also been notable that due to the very separate story that Bree Hodge has this season, Mrs. McCluskey is often seen gathering with the other three main housewives Lynette Scavo, Gabrielle Solis and Susan Mayer. Recently, Mrs. McCluskey gave Mike Delfino his toolbox back (which later got him arrested despite her hiding it), and helped form the protest against the pedophile Art Shephard. In the episode Liaisons, it was revealed that Mrs. McCluskey has her own secret: she has the dead body of her husband, Gilbert, stored in a chest freezer in her basement. In the following episode, God, That's Good Karen breaks her arm, and is taken to hospital. In the mean time, first Parker Scavo, then Ida Greenberg discovers Gilbert's dead body. Karen manages to persuade Parker to keep quiet, but Ida goes to the police, and Karen is put into jail. Mrs. McCluskey is the talk of the town after the news spreads about her husband's body being found in the freezer. She becomes hassled by local kids, who throw eggs at her house, and paint 'Witch' on her door. Lynette also changes baby sitters to keep her away from her children, but Parker continues to defend her and tells Mrs. McCluskey to just tell the truth to make it stop. She goes to Travers' birthday party while the other Wisteria Lane residents are cleaning up and reveals her actions. She explains that she came home at 2 am from a weekend away to find Gilbert had died. Waiting until morning to call the Funeral Home, she checks his pension plan to see he'd signed everything off to his first wife. Mrs. McCluskey, in fear of losing everything, kept his body in the freezer and kept cashing the cheques. Lynette then hires Mrs. McCluskey back as her babysitter. Lynette tells Mrs. McCluskey the family missed her, and Mrs. McCluskey says she missed them too. As she walks into her house Mrs. McCluskey says that she will need a raise as she a lot of money to pay and holds up bills. Mrs. McCluskey is also present at the wedding of Gabrielle and Victor Lang. She tells Gabrielle she loves the wedding and that it was "very fancy". Questioning Gabrielle about Edie Britt's and Carlos' argument during the ceremony, Gabrielle tells Mrs. McCluskey she doesn't care but if she was to see either of them again that she is to call security. Season Four In the fourth season of the show, Mrs. McCluskey asks to speak to Carlos and complains to him about some household garbage he left out, and she notices Edie's suicide attempt from the bedroom window. Carlos runs up and saves her. Later in the Season Premiere she is at Katherine Mayfair's barbecue and she questions Katherine as to why she left town twelve years ago without saying any goodbyes to anyone. Katherine is shocked that she remembers so much. We are told that Karen used to babysit Dylan Mayfair, and knew something about her father, even though Dylan insists her father left her when she was a baby. Karen later gives her opinion on new neighbours Bob and Lee's water fountain, and says it's "crap". When Katherine and Lynette both run for the job of the leader of the home owners association, Karen casts her vote for Lynette; however, Katherine wins. In the ninth episode of the season a tornado warning is given out and Lynette asks Karen if she, Tom and her kids could wait out the storm in her basement along with Karen and Ida Greenberg. At first Karen refuses, then reluctantly permits it. Later in the episode during the storm Tom begins to get an allergic reaction from Ida's cat Toby who is also in the basement. When Ida and Karen refuse to take Toby to a closet upstairs, Lynette takes actions into her own hands when Ida is sleeping and takes the cat upstairs. Karen follows and yells at Lynette and tells her they're only friends when Lynette wants something from her. Lynette tells Karen she does care about her as the door bursts open and Toby runs into the street. Karen chases after the cat saying hes the only family Ida's got - Lynette runs after Karen screaming at her to get inside. As they turn around they see the huge tornado right at the end of the street and because of falling objects they take refuge in Lynette's house in a bath tub with a mattress over them. At the end of the episode Lynette and Karen emerge alive from the storm. As they leave the house, they find the street in a horrific mess and Karen's house has been completely destroyed with Tom, Ida and the kids all inside. The episode ends with Lynette's anguished screams. In the following episode, Karen, along with Lynette, Susan, Bree and Edie, wait nervously as firemen attempt to search for survivors. Karen tells them shes praying for a miracle to happen. Just then a fireman pulls Penny (Lynette's youngest child) from the wreckage with Porter, Preston, Kayla and Parker all following. Seconds later Tom appears from the wreckage alive and well and Karen smiles as the family are safely reunited. However she asks Tom where Ida is and Tom shakes his head informing her that Ida had died. Karen cries to herself and Edie reaches out and holds her hand. Later in the episode Karen and Lynette break into a baseball stadium to spread her ashes where Ida, a former professional ballplayer in the A.A.G.P.B.L. during the Second World War, used to play. However they are confronted by the police but they are let off with a warning. Karen tells Lynette that people should appreciate others while they still have them - Lynette then tells Karen shes got some time and they head inside to talk more. Karen is seen in the season finale as a guest at Bob and Lee's wedding. Five Year Jump In the five year leap for the fifth season Karen is shown to be alive and well. Season Five When Edie returns to Fairview with her new husband Dave Williams. Karen welcomes her back and continues to tease and make jokes to her like they used too. And when she continues to do so Edie begins to get upset and Dave asks Karen if she could stop. She asks him to leave her house and finds it rude he can come over and ask for a favour when he doesen't know her. Dave tells her she knows that she must be lonely as she talked to Toby as if it was a person and that by the photos on the wall she used to have a family but doesen't anymore - with that Karen asks Dave to leave. Later on, Toby mysteriously goes missing and whilst searching for him Dave asks her whats wrong and Karen asks him to help her look for the cat - Dave refuses however when Karen refuses again to apolgise to Edie. Karen then begins to suspect that Dave had took Toby. Karen apolgises to Edie and asks Edie to tell Dave she did so - and when returning home that night her window was open and Toby was back. Karen's suspcions of Dave begins to grow and she enlists the help of Katherine in order find out more information so the two of them invite Edie out for lunch in order to learn more information about Dave. Edie however doesen't know much and tells them shes getting uncomfortable with the questions. Later in the episode during a dinner party Edie questions Dave (due to Karen saying to Edie she doesen't know enough about her own husband) infront of everyone about where he went to college - Dave tells Edie he didn't graduate because he had to look after his family. A few episodes after its Karen's 70th birthday and the residents organise a suprise party for her at Susan's house however when Dave breaks into Karen's house and moves stuff around in order to annoy her Karen arrives at the party with a baseball bat and goes to attack Dave but is stopped. Karen yells at Dave infront of everyone saying hes changed things in her house and things were in different places - everyone looks on worried as they believe she is going crazy. Karen is taking away in an ambulance and Dave tells her to take care and she gets driven off. In hospital Edie visits her and Karen apoligies saying her pills had made her accuse and attack Dave. Edie accepts the apolgy and after she leaves Karen reveals it was all an act and she rings her sister Roberta asking her to come down. Together the two of them try to find out more information about Dave's past and they discover he was a paitent at a Doctor who works for people with anger problems and for a mental institution. When they visit however the doctor is not there (he was actually killed by Dave the episode before) Roberta then tells Karen shes had enough and that she can't help no more and she leaves. Karen returns to Fairview and later on in the eighteenth episode of the season hangs out with Edie and she tells Karen about his past and how he lost his wife and daughter in a car accident. Karen apolgises saying she wouldn't of done what she did to Dave if she knew that as she lost a child herself and knows what it can do to a person. Karen invites Edie over for drinks which delays her from discovering that Dave was after Mike who was the one who crashed into Dave's wife and child. In the following episode Edie dies due to being eletrecuted and Karen along with Susan, Gabrielle, Bree and Lynette are asked by Dave to take her ashes to her son Travis. The ladies agree and go on a four hour road trip to see Travis. On the car journey the women share stories of Edie. Susan recalls a team where she and Edie were best friends, Lynette tells them about how Edie was the one who encourged her to be strong when she had cancer, Gabrielle remembers how Edie thought she was going to die young and Bree had thought back on the time where Edie had made her visit Orson in prison. When they arrive and tell Travis he is not visably upset by Edie's death and he tells them she wasn't a good mum and that she didn't even attempt to raise him. Karen gets angry at this and tells Travis how some years back Edie had comforted Karen on the anniversry of her sons death and Edie told her about Travis and that he wanted him to be brought up properly and that she knew she wouldn't of been a good mother to him. Travis then becomes upset over her death and tells the ladies they should take the ages. Karen being the closest to Edie stays up trying to figure out what to do with Edie when suddennly her front door gently blows open, Karen looks down the street at Wistera Lane and comes up with an idea. The next day Edie's ashes are all spread out equally between all five women in china cases. They all come up with a word each to describe Edie. Lynette calls her strong, Gabrielle calls her sexy, Bree calls her perceptive, Susan uses the sentence "one of a kind" and Karen calls her beautiful. Then the women all spread Edie amongst the roses, picket fences, trees and grass of the lane which Edie loved so dearly. In the episode "Bargaining" Karen is shown to offer the paperboy a tip if he throws her paper onto her porch instead of the lawn. In the fifth season finale Karen and Roberta once again try to find out more information about Dave by brakeing into his house after Roberto got a call from Dr. Heller's receptionist saying he died in the fire. Karen and Roberta are caught by the police and taken to the station where they discover Dave's ex-wife and daughter were the ones killed in the accident which involved Mike and Susan. Roberta then mentions how freaky it was that Dave changed his name to live with the people who were involved with his familys death. Season Six Karen is given a love interest this season named Roy Bender. When Gaby offers to collect Karen from the grocery store, Karen spends the whole time in the car talking about her sex life with Roy. She later watches as Julie fights with her new neighbour Danny Bolen on the street. The first time Karen McCluskey met Roy Bender she smiled at him to her surprise. The next time they met, Roy smiled back. They then continued to flirt for a week until they decided to sleep together. They went out for weeks until one day Karen decided she needed to know how he felt while they were out for a walk, Karen told Roy that she loved him. Roy didn't respond until Karen urged him on. He was about to tell her he loved her when he noticed Julie Mayer unconcious in a garden. Karen then screamed at the top of her voice, informing Wisteria Lane of Julie's brutal attack. Later Karen tells Roy that she doesn't know whether she should tell the police that she saw Julie and Danny Bolen fighting on the street a few days previous. She tells him that she doesn't want to point fingers. Roy then tells her she should tell them because she doesn't have to do it alone. He then tells her that he would be sad if Karen got hit by a bus but when Karen says that he will have to shower alone tonight, Roy tells her that he loves her. Karen later watches as Danny is arrested. Trivia *After Season 5, Marc Cherry considered making a spin-off of Desperate Housewives that would star Mrs. McCluskey and her sister Roberta. However it looks like the idea was cancelled, as instead Mrs. McCluskey was made into a series regular as of Season 6. Relatives Blood Relatives Siblings: Gale , Roberta Simmons Other Relatives Ex-Husbands: Gilbert McCluskey (deceased) Current Romance: Roy Handler Father-in-law: Mr McCluskey Mother-in-law: Mrs. McCluskey McCluskey, Karen